Stopping ‘Eco-Resorts’ In Their Tracks

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May 30, 2012: Based on a complaint filed by wildlife conservation NGOs, the Deputy Commissioner of Chikmagalur district in Karnataka cancelled the permission given to Satori Eco Adventure Resorts Pvt Ltd. for constructing resorts on Chandradrona hill in the Western Ghats. This cancellation is a significant milestone in the persistent battle by local conservation groups, WildCAT C and Bhadra Wildlife Conservation Trust, to halt commercial resorts in this tiger corridor connecting Bhadra Tiger reserve with adjoining forests.

Importance of the … Read More

Tigress on Gaur Kill, Nagarahole

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On April 13 , 2009, I was expecting to photograph the seasonal elephant congregations on the Kabini backwaters, Nagarahole Tiger Reserve, during the customary boat safari and was rewarded with this absolutely fascinating sight. The tigress approached the gaur kill and started to feed on it. The tourists in our boat kept absolute silence and the tigress continued its feed.… Read More

Animal Proof Trash Containers

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This image was taken in Nagarahole Tiger Reserve in Karnataka on 9th May 2010. There is a sign board in which the fourth and fifth points warn tourists of the dangers of plastics. Ironically, there is an open concrete trash pit right below the post and a sambar and some monkeys are feeding from the waste containing paper and plastic.

In many wildlife preserves across the country, visitor and information centres contain such crude methods of trash disposal which inevitably … Read More

Dog Menace, Hesaraghatta

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In the first week of September, I visited the Hesaraghatta grasslands in Bangalore with a couple of friends. I have already posted on CI about the habitat destruction in the grasslands (see gallery post in CI here) here.

As soon as I entered, I was witness to a disturbing sight. There were a couple of dogs, of which one was chasing this black-naped hare. It would have almost caught the hare, which was fortunate to live another day.… Read More

Yellow-Throated Bulbul

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The Yellow-throated Bulbul (Pycnonotus xantholaemus) is a species of bulbul endemic to southern peninsular India. The species is included in the Vulnerable (Vu) category of the Red Data Book (BirdLife International 2006). They are found on scrub habitats on steep, rocky hills many of which are threatened by granite quarrying, forest fires and grazing. It is confusable only with the White-browed Bulbul with which its range overlaps but is distinctively yellow on the head and throat apart from … Read More

Declaration of a Vulture Sanctuary in Karnataka

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In 2005 a project was proposed for carving out a 217m tall Buddha statue out of a huge 270 m monolith of Handigundi that faces the Mysore – Bangalore road close to Ramanagaram in Karnataka. Many concerned nature lovers strongly opposed this proposal. They argued that it would not just desecrate a hillock and hill range of great antiquity, but also cause irreparable damage to a habitat that was home to a large number of birds, sloth bears and leopards.… Read More

Elephants Attempting to Cross Elephant Proof Trench

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This was photographed in the Chikkadevama hill, near Saragur, H D Kote Taluk, near Mysore. Here elephants are trying to cross an Elephant Proof Trench (EPT), so that they can raid adjacent crop fields. With most of their habitat deforested, and their corridors interrupted by human encroachments, it is no wonder that they are forced to raid crops.… Read More

Sloth Bear in Nagarahole

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This sloth bear was photographed in Nagarahole Tiger Reserve in July 2011, around 6 PM. The bear was very bold and walked in the middle of the main road, near Karmodu junction. Though we knew that the gate near Veranahosahalli closed around 6 PM, we had to limit our speed to 30 km/hr in this area, as we knew a lot of animals were active. It was also raining heavily. This road is heavily used during weekends by tourists heading … Read More

The Official Ramadevarabetta Vulture Sanctuary Notification

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Here is the official Notification, declaring Ramadevarabetta as a Vulture Sanctuary (courtesy @bngbirds).

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Government of Karnataka No. F.E.E.234.S.W.L. 2009, dated January 31, 2012

NOTIFICATION

Whereas the Govt. of Karnataka in excise of the powers confered under Section 26A of the Wildlife Protection) Act. 1972 (Ammended in 2003) (Central Act 53 of 1972) has considered the area, situation and limits which are specified in the Schedule notification of the Government of His Highness Maharaja of Mysore State, Notrification No. R-2992-FT-61-17-4 … Read More

Highway traffic, Nagarahole

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A two-wheeler bringing fresh fish from Kerala into Karnataka. Traffic starts on the Mysore-Mananthavadi highway in Nagarahole national park at the stroke of dawn. Conservationists successfully closed the highway from 6pm to 6am. Despite the many obvious problems posed by roads through wildlife areas, more roads are being planned in Nagarahole (and through other protected areas of Karnataka), by the state government.

Read related case study of night time highway closure though Bandipur Tiger Reserve.… Read More

Local Tribes Inside Bandipur Tiger Reserve

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Human settlements in tiger reserves are a threat to the delicate movement of wildlife and in turn, face the danger of sudden attacks by wild animals. It is the animals that are going to lose eventually. Relocation of local tribes and villages out of the reserves is the only solution for both the tribes and animals, because man and animals have failed to coexist in peace. Human activity of any kind, good, bad or ugly is a nuisance to the … Read More

Lone Elephant in Degrading Landscape

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This was photographed in the Nugu Backwaters, near Saragur, H D Kotte, Mysore. Cattle Grazing and collecting timber for  firewood look like the major problems here. Once livestock return to their thatched huts, elephants start to come out of the forests late in the evening, heading towards water. They returns back to woods after finishing a quick drink. Landscape such as this slowly degrades over time due to the human land use modifications.… Read More